AN UNPLEASANT text message exchange between a mother and her babysitter has gone viral.
The messages saw a mother-of-two refuse to pay her sitter for looking after her children, claiming “free ice cream and a day of fun” was compensation enough for watching her two “easy kids”.
Her babysitter was evidently unimpressed with this suggestion though, claiming she had previously agreed a fee of $16-an-hour for her services.
Though the dispute was eventually settled, a Redditor by the name of VortexThing, who claimed to be the sibling of the sitter involved posted the alleged exchange online.
“It was great watching [your kids] today! Do you mind if I swing by tomorrow at 2 pm to collect the money?” the Redditor’s sister says at the start of the conversation.
“I wasn't aware payment was involved. You got free ice cream and a day of fun... I'm sorry for the misinterpretation,” the parent replies.
“Uhm... we discussed payment of $16 an hour beforehand. Over text,” the sitter said.
The mum asks to see the messages detailing the agreed fee, with the sitter duly obliging.
“I delete my messages often," the unnamed mum responds.
“I'm sorry, but as much as I love seeing your kids I am doing this for payment. Exclusively,” the sitter says.
“Well, you're acting kind of stuck up aren't you? Can we compromise at $20?” her client replies.
The sitter is having none of it though.
"No. I watched your kids for eight hours and we agreed on $16/hr. $128 is the total,” they state.
“I am not paying you $128 for a single day! They're easy kids!” the mom responds.
The babysitter is quick to counter this suggestion though.
“It's not a discussions of that. You promised, and I have textbooks to pay for. Please, I would accept $100,” they
“Absolutely not. I wish I didn't have such a stuck up [expletive] watching my kids. I am going to block you now - please do not contact me again,” the mother says, concluding the conversation.
The post soon went viral, prompting a raft of angry responses from fellow redditors shocked at the mother’s behaviour.
Thankfully, the added exposure prompted a change of heart.
Returning to Reddit a few days later, VortexThing providing an update explaining that his sister was eventually able to get in touch with the father of the children she looked after.
After threatening legal action, the mother involved apparently had a change of heart.
"Within 30 mins my sister was "unblocked" from the mother's phone and the cash is set to return today,” VortexThing wrote.
“We'll see how it goes, but my guess is these parents are done scheming people.”
“I really thought we were going to have to get in a legal process here,” the Redditor continued. “It was surprising how scared she was as soon as my sister even brought up court. I guess people realize that actions have consequences”.
